Drivers say M4 motorway is one of worst roads in the UK

More than 2,000 motorists took part in the survey, asked to name the best and worst roads nationwide.

They said the M25, which circles Greater London and links the UK capital with several other major motorways, was the nation's worst. The M25 is also one of the busiest roads in Europe, and carried around 219,000 vehicles every day, according to pre-pandemic data. 

That was followed by the M6 from Birmingham to Manchester, and the M4. The A406 North Circular in London, and Snake Pass in the Peak District, completed the bottom five places in the rankings.

The majority of drivers who took part in the poll said they chose their "worst" roads based on "constant" traffic and them always being busy.

Queen Elizabeth II opening the Severn Bridge in 1966.

The M4 was largely built in the 1960s, stretching from London to west of Newport, and including the Severn Bridge (now carrying the M48), which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966.

Most of the Welsh stretch of the motorway was developed in the 1970s, and in 1996 the Second Severn Crossing was opened, by Charles, then the Prince of Wales.

The section of the M4 around Newport has long been controversial, with critics saying the road is unfit to carry such high volumes of traffic, and is detrimental to the air quality of the city's nearby neighbourhoods.

A so-called "relief road" was in the pipeline for many years and the Welsh Government ordered a lengthy inquiry into its construction, but then cancelled the project in 2019 over environmental and financial concerns.

Artist's impression of a Newport West railway station proposed by the South East Wales Transport Commission.

Following that decision, a special commission has proposed a "network of alternatives" to improve public transport in the Newport area and get more people out of their cars. These plans include a series of new railway stations between Cardiff and Bristol.

Reviving the relief road was a central pledge of the Welsh Conservatives during the 2021 Senedd elections, but the party lost out to Labour, which since then has largely sidelined new road-building in favour of meeting national climate change targets.

Results of the public poll, commissioned by electronics retailer AO, showed the UK's "best" roads, as voted, were, in order from first to fifth: The A4591 in the Lake District, the A170 in the North Yorkshire Moors, the A39 Atlantic Highway in Cornwall, the A37 at Cheddar Gorge, and the A482 between Glasgow and Fort William.

When asked what makes a good road, the drivers preferred routes that were long and clear, often with stunning scenery.